HERRIMAN, Utah (Wednesday, October 26, 2022) – Real Salt Lake today announced several roster moves, returning 26 players – including 13 from the Club’s Academy and Monarchs Homegrown pipeline – from the 2022 squad, which posted a 12-11-12 (W-L-T) record across both MLS regular-season and MLS Cup Playoff competitions. Today’s announcements arrive 10 days after Head Coach Pablo Mastroeni’s team qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the fourth time in the last five years, and the 12th time in the last 15 years overall.
Captain Damir Kreilach is currently under contract and is expected to return for the 2023 RSL season, along with six acquisitions from the past year – midfielder Scott Caldwell, forward Anderson Julio, forward Jefferson Savarino, forward Danny Musovski, midfielder Bryan Oviedo and midfielder Braian Ojeda. Real Salt Lake’s 2022 goalkeeper, veteran Zac MacMath – the Club’s first-ever true “Iron Man” after playing all 3,060 minutes of the past season – remains under 2023 contract as well.
Thirteen Homegrown Players – goalkeeper Gavin Beavers, midfielder Julio Benitez, goalkeeper Jeff Dewsnup, 2022 Defensive Player of the Year defender Andrew Brody, defender Zack Farnsworth, 2022 Most Valuable Player defender Justen Glad, defender Aaron Herrera, midfielder Bode Hidalgo, defender Erik Holt, forward Axel Kei, midfielder Diego Luna, defender Jaziel Orozco and midfielder Jude Wellings also are slated to return next year, as is the midfield duo of Pablo Ruiz & Jasper Löffelsend, along with attackers Justin Meram, Maikel Chang and Rubio Rubin.
Meanwhile, RSL has declined contract options for six players, including Homegrowns defender Tate Schmitt and forward Chris Garcia, along with 2021 SuperDraft pick midfielder Bret Halsey, as well as defender Johan Kappelhof. midfielder Nick Besler and forward Bobby Wood also saw their 2023 options declined.
Three veteran players – defender Marcelo Silva, the Club’s acting Captain throughout the entirety of Kreilach’s 30-game absence in 2022, along with goalkeeper Tomas Gomez and forward Sergio Cordova, the Club’s 2022 Golden Boot winner – are each currently out of contract. However, Real Salt Lake is actively engaged with Silva about a potential long-term return, while also talking with Gomez regarding his 2023 opportunity. The loan agreement with Bundesliga side FC Augsburg for Venezuelan internationalCordova will soon expire, although the Club currently remains in discussions regarding his transfer options and contract.
As of Oct. 26, 2022, Real Salt Lake's current roster headed into 2023, listed alphabetically by position, is as follows:
Goalkeepers (3): Gavin Beavers, Jeff Dewsnup, Zac MacMath
Defenders (7): Andrew Brody, Zack Farnsworth, Justen Glad, Aaron Herrera, Erik Holt, Bryan Oviedo, Jaziel Orozco
Midfielders (10): Julio Benitez, Scott Caldwell, Maikel Chang, Bode Hidalgo, Damir Kreilach, Jasper Löffelsend, Diego Luna, Braian Ojeda, Pablo Ruiz, Jude Wellings
Forwards (6): Anderson Julio, Axel Kei, Justin Meram, Danny Musovski, Rubio Rubin, Jefferson Savarino
Key MLS Offseason Dates / Roster Mechanisms (Dates, Times (MT) Subject to Change):
• Sat., Nov. 5 – MLS Cup 2022
• Mon., Nov. 7 – 48-hour Trade window opens (10a MT)
• Wed., Nov, 9 – Trade window closes (10a MT)
• Thu., Nov. 10 – Expansion Draft Protected / Eligible Lists distributed to Clubs
• Fri., Nov. 11 – MLS Expansion Draft; Trade Window re-opens following Draft
• Wed., Nov. 16 – Free Agency Opens (11a MT)
• Thu., Nov. 17 – Re-Entry Process, Stage 1 (11a MT); End of Year Waivers (3p MT)
• Tues., Nov. 22 – Re-Entry Process, Stage 2 (11a MT)
• Wed., Dec. 21 – 2022 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas
• Jan. 3 - 7 – 2023 MLS Preseason Begins
• Sat., Feb. 25 – 2023 MLS Season Kicks Off
Real Salt Lake closed out its 18th season in Club history back on Sun., Oct. 23, falling in the First Round of the 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs via penalty-kick shootout tiebreaker at Austin FC, following a 2-2 regulation / extra-time deadlock that saw RSL play the final 67 minutes plus stoppage time down a man following forward Rubio Rubin’s second yellow card. To qualify for the postseason, RSL earned four points in its final two contests to vault itself past Portland Timbers FC and capture the seventh and final Western Conference postseason seed.
Utah’s Major League Soccer side returns in early January, 2023, as RSL’s preseason preparations in Utah and Arizona advance the Club’s 19th regular-season kickoff on the weekend of Saturday, February 25 to kick off the 28th MLS campaign. Over the past two seasons, RSL has earned an 18W-7L-9T home record at what is now known as America First Field in Sandy, setting a new Club mark in 2022 with 17 sellout crowds in as many MLS contests at the 14-year-old venue.
2023 Season Tickets can be purchased at www.RSL.com/tickets, or by calling 844.Real.Tix.
